Fishing jig

ABSTRACT

A fishing jig includes a hook upon the upper end of which is mounted a generally spherical lead head surrounding the shank and clamping an upper end portion of a lure body to the shank so that the lower end portion of the lure body conceals the hook. A central hole extending completely through the lead head cooperates with a pie-shaped radial slot which opens through the side of the lead head and into the upper end of the hole to form a passage having internal dimensions sufficient to permit the lead to be passed over the lower end of the hook and be placed upon the upper end of the hook. The upper end portion of the lure body is threaded through the hole alongside the shank of the hook, and the walls of the hole and slot are pinched together to clamp the lead head around the hook and lure body to prevent the resulting jig from coming apart when fishing.

aii [1 1 Aug.7, 11973 FiSlliiNG in;

[22] Filed: June 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 154,854

[52] 11.5. C1 43/4228, 43/4237, 43/4239, 43/4253, 43/4481, 43/4489 [51]int. (31 Ailllit 85/02 [58] lFieidl at Search 43/4228, 42.36, 43/4237,42.39, 44.89, 44.81, 42.53, 42.24, 42.25

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,177,605 4/1965 Segal43/42.28 1,518,199 12/1924 Hennings 43/4237 1,994,692 3/1935 Davenport43/4228 X 1,577,083 10/1925 Peckinpaugh 43/4228 1,257,008 2/1918McCarthy 43/4237 3,500,574 3/1970 Putnam 43/4225 1,986,738 1/1935Mitchell 43/4228 X 2,793,461 5/1957 Korte 43/4228 3,205,609 9/1965Knapton 43/4239 X Primary Examiner-Russell R. Kinsey AssistantExaminer-James l-ll. Czerwonky Attorney-Wolfe, Hubbard, Leydig, Voit &Osann [57] ABSTRACT A fishing jig includes a hook upon the upper end ofwhich is mounted a generally spherical lead head surrounding the shankand clamping an upper end portion of a lure body to the shank so thatthe lower end portion of the lure body conceals the hook. A central holeextending completely through the lead head cooperates with a pie-shapedradial slot which opens through the side of the lead head and into theupper end of the hole to form a passage having internal dimensionssufficient to permit the lead to be passed over the lower end of thehook and be placed upon the upper end of the hook. The upper end portionof the lure body is threaded through the hole alongside the shank of thehook, and the walls of the hole and slot are pinched together to clampthe lead head around the hook and lure body to prevent the resulting jigfrom coming apart when fishing.

3 Cinims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEU 3. 750. 323

rrsnrnc no BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates generallyto fishing jigs of the type with a lead head mounted on the upper end ofa hook having an eye end projecting from one side of the lead head forattachment to a fishing line, the jig also including a lure bodyconnected to the lead head to conceal the hook.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of the present invention isto provide a new and improved make-it-yourself fishing jig which is verysimple and inexpensive to assemble and which can be made according toany design or style desired much more quickly and easily than prior jigsof the same general type.

A more detailed object is to utilize the lead head to hold the lure bodyof the jig on the hook without having to wind, tie or cement the lurebody onto the lead head or the shank of the hook and to construct thelead head so that, when the jig has been assembled, the head will notslip on the shank of the hook if the jig happens to become snagged whilefishing.

The invention also resides in the unique provision of a hole and slot inthe lead head to receive and hold the hook and lure body selectively inplace preparatory to pinching closed the hole and slot to clamp the leadhead to the body and hook.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become moreapparent from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of afishing jig embodying the novel features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 22 ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lead head.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic cross-sectional views showing successivesteps of assembling the fishing jig.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the final step of assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in thedrawings for purposes of illustration, the present invention is embodiedin an artificial fishing lure 10 of the type commonly referred to as afishing jig. Typically, the fishing jig 10 includes a lead weight orlead head 11 attached to the upper end of a fish hook I3. A lure body14, herein a pair of feather streamers I5, is mounted around the hook tocamouflage the latter and provide an artificial bait attraction forfish. As shown in FIG. 2, the hook includes a short leg 16 with a barbedupper end and a long leg or shank 17 with an upper end portion 19 bentgenerally at a right angle away from the shank and out over a curvedintermediate portion 20 spanning the distance between the short leg andshank. The lead head surrounds the right angle bend at the upper end ofthe shank with the lower end of the shank projecting from the bottomside of the lead head. An eye 21 on the upper tip end of the hookprojects from the center of one side of the lead head to provide theconnection for fastening the jig on the end of a fish line such as bymeans of a swivel clip (not shown).

While the jigs 10 as described thus far are available commercially, manyfishermen prefer to make their own jigs not only to reduce the cost ofthe jigs but also so that they can fish with jigs of their own selecteddesigns and styles. Heretofore, the making of a fishing jig acceptableto both fish and fishermen required skill, patience and time notnecessarily available to all those wishing to take advantage of thebenefits of ones own handcrafted jigs.

In accordance with the primary aspect of the present invention,provision is made of a new and improved make-it-yourself fishing jig 10which is very easy to make in any desired design or style, which may bemade in a very short period of time and which is low in cost and yethigh in quality. To these ends, the lead head ill itself is used as themeans to hold the lure body M in position on the hook and includes theunique provision of a central hole 23 and a slot 24 (see FIG. 3) both ofwhich are pinched closed to clamp the lure body and the hook 13 withinthe lead head. Advantageously, this novel construction of the lead headavoids the problems attendant with tieing, binding or cementing the lurebody to the lead head. Thus, practically anyone can make his own highquality, low cost, fishing jig very easily and in a very short period oftime.

In the present instance, the lead head 11 is molded separately of thehook 13 in a generally spherical shape to include both the slot 24 andthe hole 23. As shown in FIG. 3, the hole is cylindrical in shape andextends completely through the lead head along a diametrical axis a. Theslot is narrower in width than the diameter of the hole and extendsedgewise radially of the axis a and lengthwise along the axis from theupper end of the hole to the approximate center of the lead head. Theslot may be described with more particularity as being defined by twosubstantially parallel side walls 25 and an inner end wall 26 whichextends between the two side walls radially of the axis a at the centerof the side of the lead head. During assembly of the jig, the hole andslot cooperate with one another to receive the hook (see FIG. d) and theinner end wall 26 of the slot serves as an abutment surface forpositioning the bent upper end portion 19 of the hook centrally in thelead head so that the eye 21 projects out the side of the lead head.

To assemble the fishing jig 10, the lead head 11 is placed on the hook113 is a sequence of steps as shown in FIG. 4. Then, the featherstreamers 15 are threaded quill-end-first through the hole 23 and alongthe shank 17 while holding the hook in place (see FIG. 5). The walls ofthe slot 2d and hole thereafter are pinched tegether to clamp thefeathers and hook in place (FIG. 6) and, finally, the quill ends of thefeathers are trimmed flush with the upper end of the lead head to readythe latter for painting if so desired. When placing the lead head on thehook, the slotted end of the hole is telescoped over the short leg 16 ofthe hook with the slot facing the shank as shown in FIG. 4' so that theinner end surface 26 of the slot can slide across the curvedintermediate portion 20 of the hook. Continued sliding of the lead headonto the hook turns the lead head clockwise to face the slot upwardly sothat the inner end surface of the slot is in position to engage theupper end portion 19 and locate the lattercentrally in the lead head.

Once the lead head 11 has been positioned on the hook 13, each feather15 is threaded upwardly through the unslotted end of the hole 23 andalong the hook shank 17 as shown in FIG. with the quill end of thefeather protruding from the top side of the lead head. Advantageously,the diameter of the hole is such that the walls frictionally engage thefeather streamers to confine and hold the latter in the lead head. Thefeathers thus are restricted from falling out of the head so that it iseasy to adjust the position of the feathers relative to the hook simplyby pulling on the projected quill ends of the feathers.

After inserting the feather streamers into the lead head 11 andpositioning them as desired, the walls 25 of the slot 24 and the wallsof the hole 23 are pinched together around the shafts of the feathersand the hook shank 17 by squeezing on opposite sides of the lead headwith a pair of pliers 27 to create flats 29 on the sides of the leadhead. As shown in FIG. 6, the jaws 30 of the pliers are squeezed againstthe sides of the lead head to locate the flats generally parallel withthe side walls 25 of the slot. This forces the side walls together andaround the bent upper end portion 19 of the hook with the result thatthe latter is held captive against the inner end wall 26 of the slot. Atthe same time that the side walls of the slot are pinched together, thewalls of the hole are pinched toward each other to clamp against theshafts of the feathers and the hook shank to prevent the feathers frombeing pulled out of the lead head. Thus, the lead head is mountedsecurely on the upper end of the hook and is held against sliding on theshank by the pinched together walls of both the slot and hole, and thefeather streamers are attached to the lead head by the clamping actionof the walls of the hole. All that remains to complete the assembly ofthe fishing jig 10 is to cut off the exposed upper quill ends'of thefeathers, as indicated at 31 in FIG. 6, and paint the lead head ifdesired.

While the lure body 14 has been described as including two featherstreamers 15, it will be appreciated that other materials would beequally well suited to function as the lure body. Moreover, the numberoffeathers employed to form the lure body is limited only by the size ofthe hole 23 in the lead head 11. For instance, at least eight featherscan be used to form the lure body when using, as in the presentinstance, a lead head having about a hole with a diameter of threethirty-seconds inch. Thus, the instant lead head allows a great deal offlexibility in the design and style of a particular jig. Also, fishingjigs as described herein can be made in as little as 90 seconds. Ofadditional advantage is the fact that the fishing jig 10 can be madequickly and easily under almost all conditions and does not have to bemade at home. Jigs can be made in a boat, a car, while walking from onefishing spot to the next and even in the dark when fishing at night.Thus, the jig can be made literally on the spot. This is of particularadvantage in that it allows one to make duplicates of particularlyeffective fishing jigs for instant use by others or for the replacementof a lost original.

It will be observed from the above that the present invention provides aunique make-it-yourself fishing jig 10 which is particularly adapted forvery easy and quick assembly. Advantageously, the lead head 11 itself isused to clamp and hold the lure body 14 onto the shank 17 of the hook13. The unique arrangement of the central hole 23 and the slot 24permits easy placement of the lead head in position on the hook andfurther allows the lure body to be inserted and positioned as desiredrelative to the hook.

I claim as my invention:

1. A fishing jig comprising a fish hook whose eye-end portion is bentaway from the shank so as to extend laterally from the shank in the samegeneral direction as the hooked-end portion, a lure body having one endportion lying along the shank, and a one piece lead head ofpredetermined length including a front end and a rear end and having acentral hole extending completely therethrough and receiving said shankand said one end portion of said lure body, a portion of said shankextending rearwardly beyond said rear end of said lead head, the wallsof said hole frictionally engaging said one end portion and said shankto hold the lure body and shank together with the lead head after thebody is moved into a selected position, said lead head also having apie-shaped slot of length shorter than the predetermined length of saidlead head opening out of the front end of the head and out of one sideof the head and opening into one side of said hole to receive theeye-end portion of the hook, said slot having a closed end locatedintermediate the ends of said hole and abutting the eye-end portion ofthe hook, said hole and said slot forming a passage having internaldimensions sufficient to permit free movement of the hookedend portionand shank therethrough, and the walls of said hole being pinched intoclamping engagement with said shank and said lure body and the walls ofsaid slot being pinched into clamping engagement with said eyeendportion thereby to hold said hook, said head and said body in tightlyassembled relation.

2. A fishing jig as defined by claim 1 wherein said lure body comprisesa feather whose shaft extends into said hole and is held by the walls ofthe hole, the plumage of the feather protruding from the end of the holeto conceal the hook.

3. A fishing jig as defined by claim 1 wherein said lead head asoriginally formed is generally spherical in shape, said hole isgenerally cylindrical in shape and extends diametrically through saidlead head, and said slot extends edgewise generally radially of thecentral axis of the hole, and has a generally rectangular cross sectionof a width narrower than the diameter of said hole and a lengthextending along the central axis of said hole from the one end of thehole a distance approximately equal to one half the length of the hole,the closed end of the slot extending generally radially of the centralaxis of the hole.

1. A fishing jig comprising a fish hook whose eye-end portion is bentaway from the shank so as to extend laterally from the shank in the samegeneral direction as the hooked-end portion, a lure body having one endportion lying along the shank, and a one piece lead head ofpredetermined length including a front end and a rear end and having acentral hole extending completely therethrough and receiving said shankand said one end portion of said lure body, a portion of said shankextending rearwardly beyond said rear end of said lead head, the wallsof said hole frictionally engaging said one end portion and said shankto hold the lure body and shank together with the lead head after thebody is moved into a selected position, said lead head also having apie-shaped slot of length shorter than the predetermined length of saidlead head opening out of the front end of the head and out of one sideof the head and opening into one side of said hole to receive theeye-end portion of the hook, said slot having a closed end locatedintermediate the ends of said hole and abutting the eye-end portion ofthe hook, said hole and said slot forming a passage having internaldimensions sufficient to permit free movement of the hooked-end portionand shank therethrough, and the walls of said hole being pinched intoclamping engagement with said shank and said lure body and the walls ofsaid slot being pinched into clamping engagement with said eye-endportion thereby to hold said hook, said head and said body in tightlyassembled relation.
 2. A fishing jig as defined by claim 1 wherein saidlure body comprises a feather whose shaft extends into said hole and isheld by the walls of the hole, the plumage of the feather protrudingfrom the end of the hole to conceal the hook.
 3. A fishing jig asdefined by claim 1 wherein said lead head as originally formed isgenerally spherical in shape, said hole is generally cylindrical inshape and extends diametrically through said lead head, and said slotextends edgewise generally radially of the central axis of the hole, andhas a generally rectangular cross section of a width narrower than thediameter of said hole and a length extending along the central axis ofsaid hole from the one end of the hole a distance approximately equal toone half the length of the hole, the closed end of the slot extendinggenerally radially of the central axis of the hole.